In Threes
by Hope'sFangirl
Summary: Hope's mother always said bad news came in threes. He never really knew how true that was until now. HopexLight; hints of HopexSerah
1. Chapter 1

**Hello again. I know it has been forever since I updated. I feel bad after the positive response I got on my first two submissions. I was hoping posting a few works on here would inspire my writing again, but unfortunately it just didn't happen. I tried to think of somewhere to take Not Alone, I really did, but nothing came to mind. I am, however, in the mood tonight at least to submit a work, for what it is worth.**

His mother always said bad news came in threes, Hope had just never payed so much attention. Only he had paid attention this time, and the old adage seemed to be holding too true.

'_Where could she be?_"

The teen fidgeted restlessly. He had not quite settled in yet, having switched residences so often in the past few months. After "The Fall", just making sure the survivors did just that, and _survived_, there was little time for much else, let alone coming up with shelter for the suddenly homeless thousands. A canvas tent had been home for a while just after, followed by the dreary shanty town formed of bits of scraps from the chaos of what was left on Cocoon after the destruction. Hope was close to his new friends throughout the ordeal though, and it was easy to keep faith his father was well.

It had not been too long before the Cavalry had located him. Bartholomew had set up in a relief zone not far from where the ex-l'cie had been stationed. Hope was relieved to hear his father was well. Very well, in fact, apparently he had quickly risen to become a sort of leader for the people. A "mayor" of sorts for their little refugee camp. Hope had laughed at the thought. Of course his father couldn't rest. Even with his wife passed and the question of his son's well-being, Bartholomew couldn't content himself to just sit by and worry.

Their reunion was bittersweet. As happy as he was to be reunited with the only blood family he had left, Hope was equally upset about leaving his new found family behind. Snow, Sazh, Serah, and Light, especially Light, had become so integral in his life. Sazh had been all of their 'father figure,' ready to give out sound advice where needed. Snow was sort of like the big brother he never had, despite their rocky first encounter. Serah had become a fast friend, and both shared an interest in many hobbies, from cooking, to walking the small settlement, to both of their compulsive need of a clean environment.

And of course there was Lightning. His mentor, his best friend, his guiding light, his... everything really. He had no doubt that without her, his life and ordeal as a l'cie would have been a very short one. She was smart, strong, resourceful, and undoubtedly beautiful. The teenager found it hard to resist his natural urges around the woman. Leaving her presence had not been an easy choice for Hope.

But leave he did. The airship carrying the relief supplies had arrived and Hope had boarded during a tearful farewell. The abruptness of his leaving had been a sort of relief. Had he any choice or time to consider what he was doing, he might have refused to leave. HIs life with his father had been good however, and the father-son bond had started to re-establish itself, stronger than ever.

Had being the operative word.

Not even three full months of living with his father, and tragedy had struck. The remnants of PSICOM, who had formed a separate foundation of survivors, had launched an attack against the peaceful settlements. Unwilling to accept the presence of former l'cie and anyone who would abide such atrocities, they had refused to settle with the Guardian Corps. At the time, it was given little thought. After all the people of Cocoon had endured, the last thing on anyone's mind had been more fighting.

The attack had been as savage and brutal as it was surprising. Many leaders of the GC and the settlements had been assassinated, and countless casualties had been incurred. Two of the shantytowns had been razed completely. The night of the attacks had been sheer chaos, and Hope could hardly recall any of it.

The little he remembered had been spent clutching the quickly cooling body of his father. A hole in his chest, and a gush of steaming blood had been the only signs that the body had been alive only moments ago. Having gone through his ordeal as a l'cie, Hope had been no stranger to the sound of gunfire, but the shot that had started that night was something he could not forget. A single ringing blast that was punctuated by that sickly fleshy thump and then screams. Panic and chaos was surrounding the boy before he knew it, and it was the Hanging Edge all over again.

Some faceless, helmeted soldier had seen Hope curled over his father's corpse and dragged him off. Otherwise, the teen might have been just as dead as any of the victims of that attack. For days he had roamed lifeless about the cavalry ship, one of the few left. The Lindblum, Hope recalled. He had known it when Cid Raines was in command, had flown aboard it once. For a second time it served as his bastion, flying around aimlessly, carrying survivors, until it was deemed safe for them to land again.

The relief Hope had felt when he heard that his friends had also survived the attack almost overshadowed the loss of his only remaining parent. Naturally, Lighting and the others had agreed to take him back in after hearing the news. It provided some comfort, knowing he was not alone in this, and he had loved ones to share his grief with. Much to his dismay though, his comfort was short lived.

It should have been a routine mission. A scout around the village. It should have run like any other day. A few hours running a perimeter scan, keeping the beasties away from the fragile seaside village they had set up since arriving on Pulse. Snow and NORA had been so adamant about this being the location. Of how it was like their own slice of Bohdum, dropped right down here on Pulse. So adamant, it cost them everything.

They had not know it was a popular migration route for the menacing adamantoise of Pulse. Giant, gentle creatures, but otherwise uncaring of what ended up under their massive feet. Snow and his band of misfits had been patrolling when a herd of the massive tortoise like creatures had been spotted moving towards the villaged. If they weren't redirected, they would surely smash half of the new town!

NORA had simply tried to distract them, move them out of their path. But little was known of the flora and fauna of the new planet. They hadn't realized what a bull adamantoise was capable of. They had tried a few shots, after all the bullets wouldn't even pierce the creatures thick hides, when it had all gone wrong. The bull had raged, charging the self-proclaimed militia. The monsters had been a formidable foe with six fully powered l'cie going at it. In their current state of affairs, stopping the raging beast had proved impossible.

Lebreau and Yuj had been the only ones left, and tasked with bearing the bad news to those back in town. Serah had been devastated. She had spent days flipping between states of uncontrollable bawling and near catatonic indifference.

'_Mom always said bad news comes in threes. What could possibly be next?_' Hope had thought bitterly. He could have kicked himself for the thought now.

In NORA's absence, the Guardian Corps. had to pick up the slack of protecting the new settlement. Lightning of course had re-enlisted the moment the GC had arrived in the off-shoot village. Once again, a simple patrol had been scheduled. This time, a small band of GC soldiers would take a small transport airship around to check for possible dangers.

Serah had begged and pleaded for her sister not to go. She said they had plenty of operative to spare for the task, but Lightning of course refused. She couldn't sit by when possible dangers hung around her family, and her newly appointed rank of lieutenant made her the ranking officer in town. She had promised it would only be a few hours. She promised she would be back before they knew she was gone.

She had lied, Hope reflected.

It was well past dark now, hours after the patrol should have returned, and still no sign of the pink haired soldier could be seen.

They had tried contacting Sazh at first. Being one of the few fully trained pilots they had left, he had been on a near constant stream of flights, between settlements and to and from the ruins of Cocoon, leaving him enough time to eat and sleep for a few hours in between flights. His only consolation was that Dajh had been cleared for passage on his airship, and he spent all of his available time with his young co-pilot.

Sazh had tried getting a response from the patrol over the radio. Static had been the only answer. They had left the channel open for a while, in hopes something might come through, but with each passing minute, that hope had become bleaker and bleaker. When the sun had set, Serah had lost it.

Hope might have broke down himself, but the back and forth with Sazh and attempting to subdue Serah had proved enough of a distraction to keep his mind off of wherever Lightning might have ended up.

Now though, Sazh had drifted out of communication range, and Serah had dozed off, worn out with worry. Hope absently stroked the pink locks of the sleeping girl. She had been almost inconsolable. It was all he could do to soothe her fears with false reassurances, while his mind drifted to all the horrible places he wished it never knew about.

'_What if the ship crashed? Or what if they ran out of fuel and they're stuck somewhere, surrounded by who knows what?_' They had only been six members strong, including the non-battle trained pilot. Their odds in a dire situation were not very good. Unbidden visions of Lightning gored by some beast came to mind.

Hope shook his head, briefly regretful of his movements as Serah stirred in his lap. Thankfully she didn't wake. She could use the rest. The few blissful hours of peace sleep brought. He was almost envious of her. Again, regret and guilt set in, as he thought of all she had lost recently. It would seem Pulse was as unforgiving as ever.

A glance to the clock only deepened the pit in Hope's stomach. It was ticking past four a.m. now. Even if the ship had gone down, their pilot was trained enough for a hazard landing. They had a medic as well, for any injuries. At least one of them should have been back by now, for help if the others couldn't move.

Hope sighed as he reached up and clicked off the lamp on the side table. He rearranged himself as slowly as possible as not to disturb Serah, and laid down on the couch. He prayed that when he woke up, Light would be back in her room. Perhaps a little worse for the wear, but safe and with them all the same. Or heck, maybe it was all some horrible dream. Perhaps he would wake up tomorrow, on the couch or in his bed, and find Light in the kitchen, preparing her usual morning cup of java. But life was seldom so kind to the unfortunate Hope Esthiem. When morning came, all he found was an empty kitchen and a sniffling Serah.

His mother was right, bad news always came in threes.

**Okay, so this isn't so pairing heavy, but it's only suppose to set the mood. I'm actually going in to this one with multiple chapters in mind, and I don't think I'll be leaving the updates half a year apart. This is going to be a HopexLight, though I don't think a whole lot of it is going to be personal interaction between the two, just more in a... spiritual essence I guess? And there will be some hints at HopexSerah as I think the two would make a pretty cute pairing, especially in the melodramatic "I lost who I really love" situation lol. I shouldn't lol about that but w/e. Anyways, I hope you'll give me another chance and read my work of utter fiction here which reminds me**

**I do not own any of this stuff, it's all Square Enix, blah, blah.**

**Alright G'night!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Fastest update for me ever! Anyways, chapter 2, from Lightning's PoV**

A scream pulled Lightning from the peaceful world of dreams back to the harsh reality. Her eyes opened to a night sky, buzzing with shining stars. The sight might have made for a peaceful awakening if not for the agonized groaning not far off, and the constant throb in her head.

After adjusting to the post-sleep fuzziness, protocol set in. Memories of what had transpired were flooding back. They had been on a small airship, with a one man cockpit and seating for six units, although only five had been available for the mission. Everything had been going as planned, the small squad had launched off in their transport and set off for the short run. An hour, maybe two if they spotted some trouble, that's all it should have taken. They should have touched back down in New Bohdum before the sun had set. But they had not counted on encountering the rabid zirnitra.

The flying creatures of Pulse tended to avoid their aircrafts. It might have been the sound, or the metal build, it was unknown, but the local beasts had never shown much interest in checking out their newest airborne companion. Most of the time, they had left the area completely. They weren't the most sturdy bunch, and prefered easy prey.

This time, however, the creature had not balked at confrontation. They didn't think much of the monster as it first flew beside them. The team had figured one of the beasts had gotten curious about the new addition to the food chain. That was, until it body slammed the side of the flying machine.

Lightning had just been in the cockpit, checking on their pilot's progress as the contact was made. The connection had been violent enough to throw her to the ground, and panic set in among the others. The team that had been sent to cover the village was still as green as spring grass. They had enlisted to help after "The Fall" mainly, and their experience was based mostly around providing survivors with supplies, not battling one of Pulse's most fearsome creatures.

A second slam stopped Lightning's attempt to get back to her feet. A deafening metal cringe had rung though her ears when it had happened. The short, silent moment after seemed to stretch on for an eternity, as she realized what the sound had been. Her head snapped to one of the windows of the airship, and she saw the subtle flexes in the zirnitra's body, as it leaned back in for another slam.

The rip had been louder than she could have imagined. The violent rocking was enough of a confirmation to tell her what had happened

Their pilot was gone, along with the cockpit. Had the door been open, she might have been pulled out by the rush of air right then and there. Mercifully, the auto-lock had shut the door behind her. She could only hope Etro would be as merciful on their pilot. Time to think about that had been in short supply at that moment though, and she had to do something about the rookies on her team. She vaguely recalled shouting obscenities at them until all attention was turned on her. The falling aircraft gave a violent lurch and she grabbed the nearest hand hold and had time to bark out one command before they had crashed.

"Shut up, hold on, and brace for impact!"

That had been the last thing she could recall, before waking up to the tortured moans of what could only be her squad.

When Lightning tried to sit up, pain shot through her side, and pulled her back to the ground. She craned her neck down to see her white vest with a wide, crusted bloodstain that sat over her stitched wound. The gash looked bad, and deep to boot, even after having been stitched up. The thought that she had been unconscious through the whole ordeal unnerved her somewhat. On the bright side, other than the rip in her abdomen, she could not see or feel any other injuries, excluding the few bumps on her head.

Another groan rang in the air, and the lieutenant twisted her neck again to view where it had come from. A few meters away from her, their medic, Elijah or something she tried to recall, was bent over another teammate who was writhing on the ground in pain. A bone stuck clear out of his thigh, through skin, armor and all. A second squad member was attempting to help the medic by holding the other man down as Elijah worked to at least clean and wrap the broken bone, and do what he could to reset it in the meantime.

" M-Medic!" Lightning rasped out. The high strung healer had jumped at the sound, but recovered quickly, finishing a binding and rushing over to her.

" Thank Etro you're awake lieutenant! Are you in pain? What's wrong?"

" I'm fine, calm down." The man seemed on the verge of cardiac arrest. " Wh-What's the squad status? What are their conditions?" Talking sent ribbons of pain through Lightning's stomach, but she ground the the question anyways. This team was her responsibility, she had to know what the extent of the damage was.

" I, lieutenant it's... not good." Elijah seemed reluctant to say. " Fischer is dead, and the pilot most likely. I managed to patch up Meadows and you, but Waters is in bad shape. His femur is snapped and he's got some broken ribs." He gave her a quick once over, somewhat sceptical of his own patch job it would seem. " Are.. you feeling alright, ma'am? I could only find the one injury, even though you weren't strapped in. It's... almost unbelievable really."

" Guess I'm just lucky." Lightning gritted her teeth and pulled herself into a sitting position. Another yelp from Waters had pulled Elijah away, and gave her a second to collect herself. Rodrik Meadows looked no worse for the wear, and their medic was little more than some cuts and bruises, but Erik Waters looked every bit as bad as he sounded.

Lightning was thankful that their medic had had some experience in these matters at least. A first timer could mean the difference between life and death in these situations, especially when they were getting all squeamish over blood and bone. Elijah however, had sewn up more than his fair share of gunshot holes. This was nothing he couldn't handle.

The pink haired soldier opted to take in their surroundings, scanning for nearby threats. Beasts just looking for some easy meals. The area was blissfully clear however, but she had no doubts that would soon change. The crash might have scared off anything nearby, but it was only a matter of time before the scavengers were drawn back in by the scent of blood. She knew she had to get the survivors moving, and quickly!

" Meadows, Rennington, we have to move. The local fauna will be on us anytime, and we don't want to be out here when they get back." Biting back pain, she forced herself to her feet.

" Lieutenant, I want to get out of here just as much, all the same, Waters can't move far in this condition, and I don't see much shelter nearby!"

It was true, in his current state, the private wouldn't survive much of a trip. They could try moving towards one of the rock pillars that dotted the area, but none of them promised cover from Gran Pulse's mass of carnivorous creatures. Regardless, if they didn't get out of the immediate area, they would be no better off. She only saw one option available.

" Can you get him to the ship?"

" I... don't, I mean-"

" Can you get him to the ship or not!?" Lightning growled out.

" Yes, yes ma'am!"

" Then get moving, you can tend to him inside, we need to get out of the open before something decides it wants a little snack." She clutched her gash as she limped over to the still groaning casualty. The three remaining healthy members did their best to gently lift and carry the injured man back to the crumpled wreckage of their airship. They clambered inside amidst more groans and wails of pain, but after they were in, Lightning was able to pull closed the valve door, and they were provided some sense of relief. They might be stuck here in their own wreckage, but unless an adamantoise came stumbling in their direct line, they were safe from danger for the time being.

The injury, her blood loss, and moving the injured soldier had taken more out of Lightning than she had expected. She struggled to keep her eyes open as Meadows and Rennington put the last touches on their patch job of the unfortunate private's leg. She forced herself to stay awake long enough to see the rest of the survivors collapse from exhaustion before giving in to the ebb of darkness herself. No questions were asked, no objections raised. All of that was left unsaid for the time being, everyone to worn out to worry about the next step. They would come up with a battle plan tomorrow, for now, it was enough to try and rest and recoup.

The last thoughts that visited Lightning were of Hope and Serah, most likely worried out of their minds about where she was. She wished she had someway to contact them, and let them know she was alright, if a little beat up.

'_ I'm coming back, don't you worry.' _She told an imaginary Hope and Serah in her mind. ' _I might be a little late, but I'll be back. Just wait for me, and watch, and for Etro's sake, don't do anything stupid!_'

**Again, not a great chapter, but it sets Lightning's side of the story. Hopefully I can start sharpening my wit a bit here, and make it a little smoother from here on out. Thank you for reading and the fav/follows. If you have any constructive criticism, I'm always on the look out for that as well.**

** I'll see you all soon, hopefully as quickly as this chapter came out! For now, good night/morning!**


	3. Chapter 3

**The weekend is my best time to get a chapter in it would seem. That being said, this one is a bit late to be posted, but it was done, I swear. My router has been giving out on me lately, really should pick up a new one. But enough about that.**

In retrospect, the coffee was probably not a good idea. Serah had been jittery enough without the extra caffeine, even if she had hardly touched the mug. Now, it was all she could do to keep from pacing through the house. Hope was still passed out on the couch and she didn't want to disturb the boy. She settled for bouncing her heels restlessly in her seat.

Last night, she had clung to some foolish hope that her sister would come marching in through the front door, disturbing her fitful sleep. She had prayed her sister would return, safe and sound, and her life would not be further shattered. Etro, it would seem, did not care to hear the prayers of the living.

Serah had known it the moment her eyes opened. It was one of those mornings, that felt a bit off, just ran a little too smooth. She hadn't felt groggy when she woke, in fact, her eyes had shot open, and her mind was working at full speed. Rather than being tired from the restless night, she rose from the couch, carefully so as not to wake Hope, and started for the kitchen. She must have switched on to auto-pilot after that, everything was a blur until she found herself seated at the kitchen table, half-full cup of java cooling in front of her.

'_It shouldn't be this quiet.'_

She should be sipping her coffee right now, while Lightning floated into the kitchen as she did every morning. Graceless, soundless, you wouldn't even notice she had come and gone unless your were watching. So contrary to the thundering footfalls that signaled the coming of Snow. Not that he lacked grace of sorts, or couldn't be sneaky if needed, he was always simply careless in the mornings. She had liked that. His comfort with the living arrangements. There was no tension with Snow, at least, not with her.

The relationship between her love and her sister had totally simmered. Lightning didn't object to them any longer, not openly anyways, and she gave him some slack on his other. . . blunders, so that had been nice. However, there had been plenty of other things to argue about, if their morning interactions had anything to say.

That had been before. . . that. . . though. She preferred to avoid the thought entirely if she could. The day he had been snatched away from her.

And now this. Now this terrible gut-wrenching fear that her sister would be taken away too. Serah had begged her not to go on this mission. She had that terrible dread that she felt before Snow had gone out on a similar duty. Some irrational fear that wouldn't leave her. If monsters came, they came, and could be dealt with when that happened, there was no reason to go.

Of course that hadn't convinced Lightning to stay. Nothing would have, save for maybe a terrible accident ending with her in a full body cast.

'_She'd probably insist on being wheeled onto the carrier anyways.'_ Serah laughed bitterly. Tears threatened to spill from her eyes as the soldier's face swam into mind. Serah bit her lip and shuddered with a sudden sob.

"Serah. . ." She jumped a little at the sound of her name. She took a moment to steel herself before she answered the whisper.

"Good morning, Hope." She attempted a smile, but it even felt forced. She had no doubts it looks equally so when Hope grimaced.

"Umm. . . Good morning." He wanted to say more, she could tell. She just didn't know if she wanted to talk about what he had to say.

Guilt came on in waves at that thought. It was so selfish. He had lost just as much as her in all of this. First his father back in the PSICOM attack. And Snow had been his close friend, his family even, as well. And now Lightning was missing. She would have been a fool not to see how much he admired her. Even if Lightning said nothing about it, she knew they spoke almost daily on the communicators since 'The Fall', and the day they had parted ways, the way he struggled through parting with her. . .

Serah might even be so bold as to say there might be even more on his end, even if LIghtning remained as unreadable as ever.

"You should eat."

Hope looked shocked at her comment, like his mind had been some other place. After recovering a bit, he glanced back down at his hardly touched cereal before pushing it away.

"I'm not hungry." The silence that followed was as thick as Cocoon's crystal pillar. Serah made herself busy with dumping out their dishes and cleaning them. She wanted Hope to wander off really. To go be glum in some other corner.

'_That's awful_.' She scolded herself for the thought. She should be helping him right now. He was a boy, barely fifteen, who, within a year, had lost both his parents and many of his closest friends, and she was standing here wishing he would go away.

'_Yeah, and you're nineteen. Why's it your responsibility to watch out for him?_' That dark bit of her mind butted in. '_It was Lightning that wanted him here. She brought him in, why is he your problem?_' Serah huffed and slammed the just cleaned mug down on the counter, and a cry bubbled from her throat as the ceramic shattered on impact.

Her legs suddenly felt boneless and she sank to her knees, pulling on fistfuls of tangled hair. Of course, Hope was at her side in a second, worrying over her, fretting about what was wrong.

'_If only he could have heard my thoughts a minute ago_.' More guilt weighed on her as Hope did anything he could to give comfort. She flung her arms around his slender frame and pulled him close.

"Serah, I. . . please, don't cry. . I. . ." He trailed off, fighting tears of his own. He could feel his throat tighten as he tried to force out the words he wanted her to hear. The words he wanted to hear. Wanted to believe, but there was no way to know, no way to back any of his hollow reassurances up. In the end, Lightning was still out there, in Etro knows what kind of condition, Snow and his father were still buried in the ground, and not a single thing he could say would change any of that.

Hope decided the best thing he could do was let her cry it out on his shoulder, and try to free some of his own burdens as well.

**Well, as Hope and Serah are kind of in the same boat, I figured I would do a sort of back and forth with their chapters or even mesh some. Anyways, I hope you all are enjoying the story and I guess I'll keep writing it xP!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Well here I am once again, with a delayed update. I suppose that's just expected anymore. I have no faulty equipment to blame this time, only the person who gifted me FF XIV for christmas, which I've become addicted too. Oh and myself... sorry. And lest I forget, disclaimers, no money, no ownage, etc.**

Lightning had awoken before the others. The night's rest had done little to dull the pain in her injured side, but she gritted her teeth and pulled herself to her feet. A glance out the window revealed nothing of immediate threat, though there were plenty of hiding spaces and blind spots past the glass pane. The valve lock door at the back of the crashed ship would have been too loud to try out now, so she decided to let her squad rest, and found a whet stone in her leg pack to set about sharpening her trusted blazefire. Even before the loss of technology, she had prefered sharpening her blade the old fashioned way. Something about it was calming, helped her focus. Elijah was the first to wake up after her.

They acknowledged one another with a silent nod before going about their tasks, Lightning sharpening her sword and Elijah checking out the rookies' wounds.

"How are they looking?" She might have been tough on her crew, but Lightning Farron was not one to disregard her team's wellbeing.

"Meadows has some minor injuries, better off than you really. Waters is another case." The medic rubbed the bridge of his nose and let out a sigh. "He needs more care than I can provide with a field kit, but with his injuries and blood loss, I doubt he could move far, if at all." The rest did not need to be vocalized. They all knew they needed to get out of there. Even with a metal tent of sorts, the wilds of Gran Pulse were no haven. They needed to move and soon.

The last two members of the squad woke a few minutes later. Meadows had gone to check a window as well, whilst Waters let out a piteous moan. Rennington set about switching his bandages and giving him a once over before turning his attention back to his commanding officer.

"So, where do we go from here lieutenant?"

"Our only real option as I see it, is to head back to New Bohdum. Waters can't move for sure?"

"Sorry, but there's not chance. We could try carrying him, on a stretcher if we have one in here, but even that would risk further internal injury. I can't really tell the full extent of the damage like this, but that's plain, as is the ticking clock. Without proper medical care, he won't make it past tomorrow at best."

"Shit." Lightning muttered. She grit her teeth again, weighing out the options before her. As she said, the only one that even seemed remotely feasible was hoofing it back to New Bohdum. "How about you Meadows? Can you walk?"

"Yes ma'am!" This one wasn't much for words, that was plain. Though, she prefered that anyways.

"Good, you'll need to. Rennington, you think you could hold out in here, and keep him alive if we go out for help?"

"I can hold him for a couple days I think. Like I said, he's in bad shape. If it were just the leg... but those rib injuries, well, he's just lucky they didn't pierce a lung. His breathing is still labored though, and a jagged bone can do plenty of damage, especially a rib."

"Then there's no question. You stay here and watch over him. Meadows and I will make our way back to New Bohdum. Serah might have called in our delay already, but Pulse is big, and we're a needle in a haystack right now. We'll try and relay our crash site position and get some aid out here. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am!" The two able-bodied men responded.

"You hang tight Waters, we're going to get you some help, okay?" The last squadmate managed a slight nod, which the lieutenant returned. "Alright, suit up Meadows, we've got one hell of a trek." This was not going to be easy, that was for sure. Things were bad enough with six powered-up l'cie marching over the wide expanse of untamed brutality. She had no doubt two regular soldiers were going to be little more than a fine looking appetizer. But with no other choice, the two suited up.

'_New Bohdum shouldn't be too far._' They had only set out for an hour's ride around a perimeter of the settlement. Not even a full day's hike if they made good time. All the same, an emergency velocycle would have to be fitted somewhere on the ship next time.

"We'll be back before you know it. And when we get here, I want to find both of you, _alive_, you got me corporal?"

"Heh, understood lieutenant." A final nod, and Lightning shut the valve door to the carrier. She had brought four soldiers and a pilot out on this run. Two of them were already gone, beyond help, but she would be damn sure her three remaining units would make it back home. And of course herself as well. She had two of her own she had to get back to, and she didn't plan to let them down either.

'_I'm coming home, you two. We're all coming home. I'm not letting it go any other way._'

**And that's Lightning chap two. From here on out, I'd like to try and make them just a bit longer, but I felt starting a little of the trek across Gran Pulse here would be a bit out of place. Next chapter will be back to Hope and Serah, and I'm planning on having it out before the end of this weekend, so cross your fingers for me... again sorry.**

** On a slight side note, I haven't been completely wasting time. I have a first full AU in mind, and its a pirate theme. Might have come from a Limsa Lominsa inspiration, we'll see if I take it all the way. But as always, thank you for the support, views, **_**re**_**views, and favs. You're too kind to me. G'night/morning!**


	5. Chapter 5

** So I meant the end of this weekend, not last, heh heh... sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own much, and the rights to FF XIII certainly aren't mine.**

"I'm going out to look for her."

"Wh-what!?" Under normal circumstances the exclamation might have been a sarcastic rebuttal, but Serah was honestly befuddled.

"I'm going to look for Lightning. I. . . I can't just sit here anymore, hoping she'll come back." He wasn't bluffing, if the pack on his back had anything to say.

"Hope, don't be silly. What good is that going to do? Pulse is huge, how do you expect to find one person out there. You don't even know where to start!"

"They were only going out for a perimeter check. They can't be further than a mile or two from here."

"And do you know what could be roaming within a 'mile or two' of Pulse land!? Please Hope, things are bad enough. I don't need you marching out there too."

"I've dealt with Gran Pulse beasts before!"

"Yeah, when you had your l'cie powers, and your magic."

"I can still cast magics, you've seen me!" The teenager stubbornly insisted.

"Yeah, and you know they're nowhere near what they used to be. Face it Hope, without those powers, you're useless!" Serah spat back. The defiance melted off Hope's face at that. Hurt and shock took its place. She might have felt bad, had the panic and pain and adrenaline not been coursing through her. "You can't do a damn thing but get your self killed too."

Neither moved for a minute, until Hope threw his pack into a corner and stomped off to sulk. "She's not dead." Was all he muttered before carrying on up the stairs.

Serah would have liked to believe that, but experience told her it was wrong. Dad had died, Mom had died, Snow had died. What made this any different. Lightning was strong, stronger than most, but she wasn't immortal. No one knew that better than her. How many nights had her sister come home covered in scrapes and bruises. How many times had she stumbled through the front door, and pushed her away on the way to the medicine cabinet.

But she always came home. Battered and sometimes broken, but she was always there. Serah recalled staying up all night on occasion, only to pass out with no sign of her dutiful blood. Yet when she woke, Lightning had been there, standing over a cup of coffee in the kitchen, or still sleeping off a long night in bed, but she had been there. Only this time she wasn't.

_'I shouldn't have said those things.'_ It was amazing how many terrible thoughts could cross your mind in one day, or half a day. The right circumstances she supposed. _'Is that all it takes? One wrong word to set me off?'_

Yes. At this moment, all it took _was _one wrong word. Though calling the boy useless might have been a tad harsh. She had panicked though. Serah had no doubt he would have marched off into the wild to hunt down his hero. If he had picked up anything from the soldier, it was her stubborn determination. The slight to his abilities was cruel, but it had served its purpose. Hope was up in his room, where he should be. Not embarking on a suicide mission.

_'He's all I have now. I have to keep him safe.'_ After their moment that morning, she had made up her mind. It fell to her to keep him safe now. He had no where else to go, no one else to turn to. Neither did she. Sazh had Dajh and his pilot's job. Amodar was off at the established GC HQ, spending every spare moment planning out the continuing effort to settle the Cocoon refugees. Barely a year had gone by, but finding homes for millions of survivors was every bit as involved as it sounds.

No, Lightning had brought him in, to make sure the teen had a safe home, perhaps not always a stable one, but he had always been among friends here. Those cowards out there might pick on a fifteen year old boy, but a towering, six-foot plus, mountain of a man and a trained military unit certainly made them rethink.

_'Not that that matters now. I'm all he has to shield him, and I'm probably less threatening than he is.'_ Serah looked to the mirror on the wall and laughed despite herself. _'Both of us together might be able to scare a cat off.' _A sudden thump pounded on the floor. She would have to go apologize sooner or later.

_Bang!_ The knife slammed into the ground. Hope glared at where it had bounced and landed, huffing. _'Face it Hope, without those powers, you're useless!'_ The words had been a slap across the face. They didn't have an extended amount of interaction, but Serah had always been accommodating to him. The last thing he expected from her mouth was the cold slight. The worst part about it though, was the fact that it was true.

Since he lost the majority of his magic abilities, it felt like half of him had fled over night. Hope had never been big for his age, and privileged and sheltered besides. All things considered, he made an easy target for his old school's bullies. His magic had made him feel stronger, no, it had _made _him stronger. High school brutes were nothing compared to a King Behemoth. Now he was back to being the scrawny useless twerp from before.

_'How can I protect her, when I can't even protect myself?'_ The promise had been so easy at the time. Words, however, mean little without the will to back them up. Hope scooped up the knife. Lightning had sent it to him on his fifteenth. He remembered how happy it had made him. Even though the transportation had been down, and his friends hadn't been able to make the trip out to New Polum, just receiving their gifts had been enough. They might have laughed, or thought him silly, but some part of Hope had been truly afraid that they would forget him after a time. The gifts they had sent reassured him they thought about him every bit as much as he did them.

He didn't bother responding to the soft knock on the door. He knew it was Serah, it had to be. Who else was left? _'No one, that's who.'_

"Hope? May I come in?" The question was almost pleading. He ignored that too. "Please, I. . . I'm sorry. I didn't mean it, that you're. . . what I said." _'That I'm useless you mean.' _

"Go away." _'Lightning wouldn't call me useless.'_ That wasn't true though, was it? She never said it, no. But she didn't let him go out on scouts with her, even the easy ones. She didn't let him join in the fights when the beasts grew bold enough to harass the villagers. She didn't even trust him to relay messages. Working the radio wasn't rocket science, he could have handled it.

After a bit of fumbling from the door knob, he heard the lock click. He had forgotten all the doors came with a key. "I said go away." Serah at least had the decency to look shamed.

"I'm sorry." She repeated.

"For what?" Hope was in no mood to be accommodating.

"For barging in. . . and, the useless thing." Regret colored her features. Hope took a minute to respond

". . . You were right."

"What?" To her credit she looked honestly confused. Then again, Serah's mind had been as apt to wander as his. Perhaps she really didn't know what he meant.

"I mean I am useless."

"Oh Hope, no you're not, I-"

"No, it's true. Without my magic, I'm no use to Lightning. Or you, or Sazh or anyone!" The confession made him feel somewhat better. Serah didn't try to give him another empty reassurance, so he pushed on. "Back when we were l'cie, in Palumpolum, I made a promise to her. . . to Light." When she ran her fingers through the tangled platinum locks, he allowed himself a shiver. "I promised I would watch out for her too. That I would protect her, like she protected me. But I didn't. . . and now she's out there. . ." Any thing more he might have said was cut short by the tightness in his throat.

"Hey, this isn't your fault." Serah continued to stroke the boy's hair as he sniffled, trying to hide from her, in her own shirt. She couldn't help the small smile at the sight. It was easy to forget how young he was sometimes. He had seen so much in his short time, it had aged him, mentally at least. The childish act was so contrary to his usual behavior. "You did protect her, y'know? You've done a lot for her Hope. More than you know I think."

"R-Really?" She smiled again at him, and gave a slight nod.

"Of course. I know you didn't know her before all of this, but I swear, I haven't seen her so happy around anyone in ages!" The look in his eyes was borderline pleading. "You're a kind soul Hope, anyone can see that. Claire's no different. She's not in the habit of picking up strays after all." Even the teen couldn't fight the smile from that.

"I'm not some stray." He pouted playfully.

"No, that you aren't."

". . Claire." A sudden exhaustion took hold of him, and he laid his head down in the younger Farron's lap.

_'He really is sweet.'_ Serah watched him nod off, offering what comfort she could. He had helped her this morning after all, she could at least return the favor. _'And cute.'_ She giggled at herself, and the peaceful look spreading across Hope's face.

Eventually the groggy heat and the sleeping boy began their work on her as well. Her eyelids drooped and a few times she had snapped her eyes open and looked over at the clock to find twenty or more minutes had gone by. Realizing she wasn't going to make it to her own bed, without waking Hope anyways, she settled back on the pillows of the small twin mattress, and started to nod off.

The teen squirming next to her barely caught her attention as she drifted off to an afternoon nap. Her last thoughts before the darkness took her weren't about her missing husband or sister this time though. Instead, she dreamed of warm smiles, and soft silver hair.

**So yeah, I didn't get it out last weekend, and I started real late last night so I ended up saving until this evening, but in the end I did get it out. I felt like the last two chapters were losing focus a little though, it is suppose to show a Light x Hope after all, but I'm working on sharpening my skills. Instead, we have the beginnings of the Serah x Hope workings. But my ANs aren't why anyone is here so no more bumbling through this. Suffice it to say I'm trying to make this readable, so hopefully I can improve from here on. Til next time then!**


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